Former PTO president, Delmont soccer manager accused of taking money

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Police have accused a Delmont woman of taking more than $14,000 from two local parent-run groups and forging letters to cover her tracks.

Elizabeth “Beth” Kindelberger, 41, of Rose Court in Delmont, faces eight charges of forgery, four charges of tampering with records, and two charges each of theft by unlawful taking and theft by failure to make required disposition of funds received, according to court records.

Police accuse Kindelberger, the former president of the Heritage Elementary Parent-Teacher Organization, of taking $9,997 from the PTO's bank account. According to a police affidavit, Kindelberger is accused of requesting a cashier's check for the amount in December 2011 and cashing. Police also accuse Kindelberger of writing checks for $4,050 from an account with the Allegheny Force Football Club, a Delmont-based soccer organization where she volunteered as a manager.

Money was taken from the groups in late 2011, police said, and it appears all of the money has been repaid. When confronted by other members of the PTO, Kindelberger “was not forthcoming or truthful about her making the withdrawal,” police said. The money was returned to the account 22 days later, in January 2012, the affidavit said.

In the criminal complaint, police accuse Kindelberger of going to “extreme measures to cover up said theft, which included creating a fictitious document from the PNC Bank and forging the signature of a bank manager.” Police accuse Kindelberger of submitting a forged letter purported to be from the Beulah Road branch of PNC Bank. The letter blamed the situation on a bank error. However, bank records showed that the withdrawal was made at the branch located along Tarr Hollow Road and Route 22, and the check was deposited into Kindelberger's personal account at S&T Bank, according to the affidavit.

The Heritage PTO is not directly affiliated with the school district. It functions to support the school and students, but has no administrative ties to the district. PTO officials did not return calls seeking comment.

Police also accuse Kindelberger of taking money from the Allegheny Force Football Club, where she was one of 16 soccer team managers, police said. The president of the organization told police Kindelberger's team account was about $2,000 short in late 2011, which prompted an internal investigation. A review of the team's cashed checks showed withdrawals totalling $4,050 between October 2011 and December 2011.

Police accuse Kindelberger of writing seven checks, ranging from $500 to $1,250, to “Cash.” According to the affidavit, Kindelberger told the organization she had invested the money into Nationwide Financial Services in Columbus to earn interest for her team and provided the group with documentation.

However, according to the affidavit, a police investigation found that those documents were fraudulent.

Kindelberger was removed as team manager in July 2012, according to the affidavit.

On Monday, Lenny Wittman, president of the soccer club, said it appears the “misused” money was returned.

“As far as we can tell, it's all been returned,” Wittman said. “It's not a cut-and-dry thing, but it looks like it was misused, not stolen.”

Kindelberger is free on $10,000 unsecured bond and will have a preliminary hearing in front of Magisterial Judge Charles Conway June 18 at 10:45 a.m.

Daveen Rae Kurutz is a staff writer for Trib Total Media. She can be reached at 412-856-7400, ext. 8627, or dkurutz@tribweb.com.

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